The Fine Line Between Love and Hate
by LOTRbandie
Summary: After Hermione returns to England, muggleborns start being killed. Their main target? None other than the Gryffindor Princess herself. For her safety, she is placed in the protection of Draco Malfoy, a man she still can't fully trust. She soon learns that there is a fine line between love and hate. Can she cross that line? Rated for later chapters. Dramoine! Read and review!


**Summary: **After completing her 7th year at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger was given a position at the American Ministry of Magic. She eagerly took the job and left England. Two years into her stay in America, she met a talented wizard and they fell in love. A year later they were married. They enjoyed their time together until a year later when they found out they were going to have a baby. They were ecstatic. A few months after their son was born, Hermione received a letter from Harry, letting her know that he had finally found her parents. This is when her husband finds out that Hermione is a muggleborn Witch. Furious, he leaves his wife and son. Hermione is devastated; she thought that pureblood prejudices were over since the War was over. Not being able to stand America any longer, Hermione gets transferred back to the Ministry of Magic in that, she swore off relationships. She never wanted to feel the way her ex-husband made her feel again. Three years later, attacks on muggleborns start happening and Hermione is specifically targeted. Harry being who he is, orders special protection for Hermione and her son. Hermione is furious with their choice of a protector and soon learns that there is a fine line between love and hate. Will she be able to cross over? Dramione! Rated M for later chapters!

**Disclaimer: **Sadly, I don't own Harry Potter. That wonderful title belongs to the brilliant and talented JK Rowling!

**Author's Note: **I know the summary is a little choppy; I'm absolutely horrid at them! Please give the story a chance, I promise it will be better than the summary! So just read through the first chapter and leave me a review to let me know what you think! Now, onto the main event: the first chapter!

_{ love and hate }_

**The Fine Line Between Love and Hate  
Chapter One**

_ An incessant tapping at her bedroom window woke her up. She sat up quickly, blinking the sleep from her eyes and looked over at her clock. It flashed 2:47. Who would be sending her an owl so late at night? Someone back home, perhaps? Wearily, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and she padded noiselessly to the window and opened it. She immediately recognized Harry's owl as it swooped through the window and perched on her bed post. The owl was a beautiful tawny color with white spots on her wings, Harry had named her Tonks. Cooing to Tonks softly, she approached the owl and fed her a few treats after untying the letter from her leg. She flew back out the window before waiting for a response. She hoped that everything was okay, usually Harry was very good at sending her post during the day so this letter must be important. She tore open the envelope and read through the contents thoroughly. Her breath caught in her throat and she let out a squeal of delight as she shook her husband awake._

"_What is it, Herm?" he asked groggily, "Is everything ok?"_

"_It's better than okay, Josh!" she whispered, her voice dripping with excitement, "Harry found my parents!"_

_Josh sat up and looked at her quizzically. Taking a deep breath, she launched into an explanation about everything she had never thought important enough to tell him. He knew that her parents were missing, but she had never told him why. As she explained that her parents were muggles and practically defenseless against Voldemort and his followers, a dark shadow fell over his eyes and he stiffened. She noticed the change in him immediately and reached out to touch his face._

"_Joshie?"_

"_Your parents are muggles?" his voice was barely audible._

"_Yes."_

"_So you're a mudblood." It was more of a statement than a question and it was like a slap in the face._

_She recoiled from him and the name that haunted her throughout her school days at Hogwarts. Her face blanched and she fumbled for something to say. Yet she could only gape at him as she nodded her head slightly._

"_I thought you were a pureblood! You're too powerful to be a mudblood. How could you lie to me like that?!" Josh was seething as he threw the covers off of his body._

"_I didn't… You never asked… I'm not a… that's not…" she struggled for words as her eyes filled with tears._

_It had been so long since she had heard that name directed towards her. The war had ended almost six years ago. She thought that the prejudices that had once been so obvious in England wouldn't be the same in America. Yet she was sadly mistaken. Tears cascaded down her cheeks as she watched Josh pull on clothes and shove the rest of his clothes into a bag. When he started to walk from the room, she scrambled after him and grabbed his wrist. He yanked his wrist from her grasp and turn around to glare at his wife._

"_I didn't think it mattered," she said quietly._

"_Of course it matters!" he scoffed, "Do you think anyone in my family would be caught dead with a mudblood for a wife? It's disgraceful. It's dirty blood."_

_Josh started to walk away again, his green eyes cold, but she continued to follow him, "What about Caspian? What about your son?"_

"_He is no son of mine."_

_{ love and hate }_

Hermione Granger woke with a start. Her breathing was somewhat labored as her eyes took in the features of her bedroom. Drawn navy blue curtains, ivory walls, plush navy blue carpet, shelves of books covering the wall to her left and a desk strewn with paperwork to her right. It was so comforting and familiar, yet so different. Waking up from that dream of _him _made her expect the room they shared together in America, but this was her room in her flat in London. The same room that she had been living in for the last two and a half years. Hermione let out a soft sigh and scrubbed her hand down her face. She knew she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep tonight so she climbed out of bed and pulled her robe on over her pajamas and went to check on her son. She padded down the hallway to her son's room and eased open the door, peering inside. Caspian was sprawled on his bed, one arm tossed above his head and his other arm hanging off the side of the bed. The sheets were tangled around his legs and torso, his feet twitching every so often. A soft smile played on her lips as she leaned against the doorframe. Caspian was one of the few good things she had in her life. She walked into his room and fixed his blankets, kissing him on the forehead before heading into the living room to make some tea. Once her tea was made, she clasped the mug in her hands and let the warmth seep into her fingers. She took a small sip, sighing in content before going outside to retrieve the post. There was a letter from her mum and dad, a few bills and a muggle newspaper. Tucking the contents of her mail under her arm, she turned to go back inside and had to stifle a scream. She lost her grip on her tea and it fell to the ground, shattering on impact.

There was a man sitting on her front lawn. He looked to be reading the newspaper, but Hermione knew the effects of the killing curse and knew this man was dead. She also thought he looked rather familiar, but couldn't place him from the shock. Her eyes traveled from the man to her house, oh, her house! The word _mudblood_ was etched into her home with bright red paint. It was written all over. She unconsciously clutched at her arm where the word had been carved into her skin nearly eight years ago. There was also something written across her door in the same red paint. Numbly, she took a few steps forward to read it better.

_Granger. We want Granger. We won't stop until she's dead. _

Clutching the post to her chest, Hermione flung the door open with her wand and ran inside. She shoved the letter from her parents into the pocket of her sweatpants and dashed down the hall. She grabbed a bag and filled it with things she would need. Clothes, toiletries, toys and anything else Caspian might need. She slung the bag over her shoulder before making her way into Caspian's room. She carefully scooped him up so she wouldn't wake him and held him close to her. Her eyes looked around the living room wildly before she grabbed a handful of floo powder with her free hand and stepped into the fireplace, shouting Harry's address before spinning away. She landed unceremoniously in Harry's fireplace and quickly cast a silencing charm around Caspian and the kid's room. It was then that she let her fear take hold.

"HARRY!"

It was a strangled scream, something she had to force out. She heard him curse and then heard his footsteps coming down the stairs. When she saw him, she sunk to her knees, holding her son against her protectively as she sobbed. With wide eyes, Harry ran the rest of the way down the stairs and dropped to the ground in front of Hermione. He gently pried Caspian from her arms and set him down on the couch. He turned his attention back to his best friend, his green eyes concerned.

"Hermione, what's wrong?" Harry asked gently.

She tried to compose herself, but she could only gasp out a few words, "My house… the man… dead… and the word… oh, I hate that word…"

"What are you talking about, Mione?"

"I went to get… the post this morning," Hermione took deep breaths in before continuing, "I went to go… back inside… Oh, Harry! There's a dead man on my lawn! And it's written all over my house!"

Harry stared at Hermione, bewildered, before understanding dawned on his face. He hugged Hermione to him tightly before kissing her cheek and running upstairs. Hermione crawled over to the couch and pulled herself up. She laid down next to Caspian and pulled him against her side, taking comfort in his small frame and the smell of his shampoo. It wasn't long before Ginny came downstairs; walking slowly due to the large tummy she was sporting. Her hands rested at the top of her protruding belly and she eased herself down onto the couch opposite of Hermione.

"Harry sent a patronus to the ministry and he's headed there now," Ginny said gently, "Are you alright Hermione?"

Hermione could only shake her head and let out a choked sob. Ginny's eyes softened and she pushed herself up, walking over to Hermione and tugging her upright.

"Let's get Cas upstairs. He can sleep in James' room. You know how excited he'll be," Ginny coaxed, "Then we can get you settled in the guest room."

Hermione got up stiffly, Caspian still asleep in her arms. Ginny went to pick up Hermione's bag, but Hermione shrunk it and waved her wand, muttering the summoning charm. She caught the tiny bag in her hand and Ginny gave her a grateful smile. Without a word, Hermione clambered up the stairs and made her way to James' room. Once inside James' room, Hermione cast a simple charm to make the bed bigger. She tucked him in next to James and then walked down the hallway to the guest room. Ginny had gone back into her own room so Hermione was free to take her time putting her things away. She did it the muggle way, it was soothing for her. The gentle rhythm of taking her and Caspian's clothes out of the bag and into the dresser drawers gave her time to think. Was this just a group of death eaters who managed to evade capture? Bent on destroying the only muggle-born who was a key part of Voldemort's death? Was this a new group of pureblood fanatics? Hermione had no idea, but she knew she needed to protect her son. She reached into her bag to grab another article of clothing, but found it empty. The drawers were full of Hermione and Caspian's clothes and everything else she brought was placed neatly on top of the dresser. She ran a hand through her unruly hair and then made her way downstairs where Ginny was making tea. Silently, Ginny handed her a cup and Hermione mumbled a thank you.

"Harry will figure out who did this," Ginny said suddenly, "He won't let them get away with it."

"I know, Gin," Hermione said softly, "It's just I had the dream tonight and then I went out to get the post and that word was all over my house."

Ginny moved around the corner of the table and hugged Hermione tightly. Her baby bump pressed against Hermione's stomach and she suddenly felt a pang of want. She _wanted _another baby. She loved that James and Albus were always around to play with Caspian, but she wanted her son to have a brother or sister. She quickly shook off the feeling, she didn't want to feel the way she did after _he _left. It just wasn't going to happen. Ginny pulled away after a few minutes and tucked a stray strand of hair behind Hermione's ear. There was a soft '_whoosh' _noise that came from the living room and the two girls hurried out of the kitchen, expecting Harry. It wasn't, though, and Hermione stood face to face with Ronald Weasley. Her breath hitched in her throat at seeing her other best friend and she made her way towards him. Ron gathered Hermione into his arms and held her close, running his fingers through her hair in a soothing manner.

"It will be alright, Mione," Ron said, "Harry and I will start on it straight away. You know you can always stay at my place if you want."

"Thank you, Ron," Hermione sniffed as she pulled away, "But I couldn't impose on you and Luna like that, especially with the new baby."

"Rubbish, you know Lorcan and Lysander would love to have Cas over," Ron grinned cheekily, "And you know little Rosie has a crush on him!"

Hermione let out a strangled sort of laugh at that. Ron's daughter, Rose, followed Caspian around everywhere. It was rather adorable. While Hermione and Ron had dated after the final battle at Hogwarts, during their 7th year at Hogwarts, they mutually decided that they were better off as friends. Ron dated a little bit after that, but nothing had ever seemed right. About five years after the war, Ron had met up with Luna. The poor girl had lost her husband to an experiment gone wrong a year before and had been left with their two year old twin sons. Ron and Luna dated for about a year and a half before they finally married and nine months later little Rose was born. Luna had just given birth to their son, Hugo, a few days ago. While Hermione loved Ron and his family to death, with the realization that she wanted more children after just hugging Ginny… she was afraid of how much more she would want it being around a newborn.

"I just want to be able to go back home once Harry gets everything cleaned up," Hermione sighed and sat down on the couch.

"We're working on it. I just wanted to come over and make sure you're okay," Ron bent down and kissed her forehead, "We'll come get you once we have everything figured out."

Hermione nodded and put her head in her hands. She heard Ron call out her address and in a rush of green flames, he was gone.

_{ love and hate }_

Ron stepped out of Hermione's fireplace, brushing soot off of his robes and made his way over to Harry. They had already removed the body, which Harry and Ron were immediately able to identify as Dennis Creevey, even though they hadn't seen him since Hogwarts. Harry was bent over Hermione's dining room table, looking at photographs of different crime scenes. There were seven pictures, eight including the one from today. Ron watched as Harry would pick one up, study it and then place it into a line with the others. It seemed as though he was trying to figure out the code that they had been unable to crack when the killings started. Harry picked up the last photograph and placed it in the middle of the line, slamming his palm down onto the table a few seconds afterwards.

"What is it, mate?" Ron asked.

"It's been pointing to Hermione all this time!" Harry snapped, "And we missed it! If her wards hadn't have been so strong she would have died, Ron! Her and Caspian!"

All the color drained from Ron's face, leaving his freckles to stand out against his pale skin, "Are you sure?"

Harry gestured towards the pictures angrily and moved out of the way, pacing up and down Hermione's kitchen. Ron cast a wary glance in his best friend's direction and then leaned over the table. Each and every one of the seven victims before this had all been muggleborn. Every victim had a short message that would spell out over their body. It had obviously been written by whoever was doing the killing. They had all been out of order before Harry finally sorted them out. It was actually rather childish now that he thought about the messages. Ron started at the picture furthest to the left and worked his way right.

_G is for green, for it's our favorite color. Slytherin and killing curses seem to go hand in hand._

_R is for red, for it's the color of the enemy. Of Gryffindor and the blood that lies on the floor._

_A is for anger, for the Dark Lord was murdered. Our way of life was ruined and it's them that pay the price._

_N is for now, because it's time for the uprising to begin._

_G is for great, for the world shall be great once they're all dead._

_E is for the enlightenment that will come to pass once we take over._

_R is for revenge, it's the only path left. She will be our example and nothing will stand in our way._

Ron stared at the pictures for a moment before looking up at Harry, his mouth gaping, "It spells her bloody name, Harry! How did we miss this?!"

"I don't know!" Harry ran a hand through his hair angrily, "Maybe because the clues came all out of order? I mean, we knew they were targeting muggleborns but it was hard to realize they were targeting someone specific until that very last victim. I just thought they were doing it to taunt us!"

"She can't stay here. They know where she lives," Ron said, "She probably shouldn't even stay with you or me. We need her to stay somewhere she will be safe. Perform the fidelius charm. We have to keep her safe."

Harry was silent for a moment before motioning one of the Junior Aurors over, "Get me the head of the D.E.T. Squad. I want him here right now."

The Junior Auror nodded his head frantically and disapperated on the spot. Harry slumped down onto the couch and covered his face with his hands. He felt Ron sit down next to him and he looked up at his best friend wearily. Harry knew what Ron was thinking and was waiting for him to say something.

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Harry?" Ron asked softly.

"I wouldn't trust anyone else with Hermione's safety," Harry said.

"Hermione isn't friends with him like we are," Ron pointed out, "She won't like this."

"No, she won't, but she's going to have to deal with it."

A small _'pop' _sounded and Harry turned his attention towards the kitchen. The other man's silver grey eyes scanned the contents of Hermione's kitchen quickly before searching for the people he wanted. When he spotted them, he ran a hand through his white blonde hair before his trademark smirk graced his pale face. Harry and Ron both stood up and shook hands with the man before Harry gestured towards the couch and they all sat down.

"Have you figured the code out yet, Potter?"

"It's Hermione," Harry blurted out, "They're after Hermione. We need you to take her and her son to Malfoy Manor and keep her there."

Draco gaped at Harry for a second before he recovered, "You want Granger to come stay with me? In the place she was tortured by my crazy Aunt? You know she's not going to go along with this, especially not with me."

He said the last part a little bitterly and Harry patted Draco's shoulder awkwardly.

"It's for her own safety, Draco. Please," Ron said quietly.

"Alright, but you're the ones that are going to tell her that she has to live with me for an undetermined amount of time."

_{ love and hate }_

**Author's Note: **And enter Draco Malfoy! Here is chapter one, I hope that you guys liked it! I will have chapter two up as soon as I can! Leave me a review and let me know what you think! I really liked this idea, but it might take a few chapters for Hermione and Draco to actually get together. I don't want to move it along too fast, but I don't want it to take like ten chapters either. Happy reading!


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